8 Ways to Entertain Kids on a Road Trip to Disney

A family vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is one of the most exciting ways to spend time as a family. But sometimes getting there in one piece is a battle in itself! It takes a little planning and finesse to make a road trip to the Happiest Place on Earth run smoothly. We came up with Disney-themed twists on the old family travel standbys for entertainment on a road trip to Disney.

Disclosure: SheBuysTravel uses affiliate links.

8 Ways to Entertain Kids When Driving to Disney World

You’ve done all the planning. You crunched numbers and scoured hotels and attractions and restaurants and all of the best deals. The tickets are loaded and the Disney MagicBands are on your wrist. You’re ready to make magical memories.

Everyone is excited about your trip to Walt Disney World. Now, we have to keep everyone together in one piece on the road to Disney. It’s a delicate balance. We want to foster the family travel and theme park excitement, but not too much or we’ll hear “Are we there yet?” every five minutes.

We’re here to help! Here are fun Disney-themed ways to keep kids entertained while driving to Disney World.

1. Start Disney World Travel Journals

A few days before the trip, print free Walt Disney World travel journal pages. When you’re on the road, have the kids start filling out the first bits of information. Details such as the date and destination, how they’re traveling and which attraction or character they’re most looking forward to will turn those pages into a great souvenir.

A Disney vacation is something you’ll want to reminisce about long after you return home. We love the large collection of Disney World vacation journals on Etsy that are ready to go when we are!

Also, check out these FREE Disney Printable Activities that the kids can color while on the road and stick in their journal.

2. Look for Hidden Mickeys in Road Trip Scenery

Starting to get bored? Look for hidden Mickeys on the road. Search tree patterns and clouds for your favorite mouse; hidden Mickeys are, quite literally, everywhere.

It also trains the kids to notice their surroundings and lets you steer them away from the electronics at least for a short time. This can also be a good activity for a stop at a rest area or restaurant for a break. It will help prepare them for all of the hidden mickeys they’ll soon see at the Disney resorts!

3. Disney Road Trip “I Spy BINGO”

This is a Disney World mashup of the famous “I Spy” and “Road Trip BINGO” games. Write your favorite character’s name vertically on a sheet of paper.

Look for things on your road trip to Disney that start with and spell out the letters of your favorite character’s name. For example, to spell out M-I-C-K-E-Y, write down things like Map, Interstate, Cow, Key, Exit, and Yellow stripes when you see them. When someone gets a BINGO by completing their page, throw them a bag of fruit snacks or let them pick the next activity or movie.

Here is a list of other Disney-related words that you can add to your list:

• EPCOT
• ​Monorail
• ​Frozen
• Castle
• Churros
• Disney Springs
• ​Animal Kingdom

4. Stream Disney+ When Driving to Disney World

This one’s a no-brainer. Everyone is going to need a little downtime, so bring your devices and chargers! Watch your favorite Disney movies that will get the family excited about the attractions you have planned.

For instance, stream some of your favorite Star Wars movies if you’re going to visit Hollywood Studios or Frozen and Frozen 2 if you’ll be going to Magic Kingdom, and so on.

Check out this list of Disney+ movies about Walt Disney World and some of our favorite movies:

• The Imagineering Story
• Disney’s Fairytale Weddings
• Waking Sleeping Beauty
• Frank and Ollie
• One Day at Disney
• Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy 

5. Bring Disney World Maps

Kids never, and I mean never, get tired of looking at brochures and maps of Walt Disney World. Brochures can easily be found at rest areas (where you’ll stop on your MANY bathroom breaks) and visitor centers as you approach the Orlando area. Some travel sites offer maps of the WDW parks in pdf form that you can print ahead of time.

And with an internet connection, there is of course always the My Disney Experience app. It offers an interactive, up-to-the-minute map of Walt Disney World resorts and parks, including ride wait times and reservation information all in one place.

6. Bring Audiobooks

Audiobooks are a good option for road trips if you need a break from movies. They are also good if the kids want to rest their eyes and just listen to their favorite Disney tales before drifting off to dreamland.

Audible is a great place to find audiobooks. Get 1 FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial! Audible has a large collection of children’s books; here are some of our Disney favorites:

• Disney Pixar Story Collection
• Disney Princess Storybook Collection
• Frozen
• Disney Junior Storybook Collection
• The Toy Story Collection

Looking for more family-friendly audiobooks? Check out these 31 audiobooks for hours of fun!

7. Bring Book Books

Need a quick break from Disney altogether on a long road trip? Have school-age kids read actual, physical books out loud in the car. It’s a great way to keep up reading skills outside of school and enjoy the classics together as a family. Bonus points if you have a few readers that can take turns. A good story will help pass the time quickly as you’re driving to Disney World! Try on of these 11 great read-aloud road trip books for kids.

8. Bring Games

Try a Disney-themed Headbanz road trip game complete with Mickey ears and cards with items like Mickey bars. Games are great for the car and downtimes at restaurants and hotel rooms.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Most of these suggestions are great for keeping the kids entertained inside the rooms at your Disney resort too!

Our Favorite Road Trip Must-Haves

Our SheBuysTravels are some of the best road warriors! Many of them make the drive to Disney at least once a year. Here are some of the products that we refer to as our “lifesavers” when packing for a road trip to the Disney parks or any other destination!

Kids Travel Tray

Disney Refillable Water Bottles

Kids Backpacks

Activity Book

Car Charger for Front and Back Seat

Backseat Organizers

Erasable Drawing Pad

Where to Buy Disney Tickets

We recommend purchasing your Disney tickets through Get Away Today. Not only does the company have the lowest prices, but it also offers a best price guarantee. If you ever find park tickets cheaper, Get Away Today won’t just match the price, the company will beat it. If you call to make your purchase be sure to mention SheBuysTravel!